From Tivat a day trip goes one of two ways: west to the submarine docks, Mamula and the Blue Cave, or east to the Kamenari ferries, Perast and Prčanj. The choice is made by the clock, not by taste. The western route is tied to the light in the grotto between 11:00 and 12:00, the eastern one is tied to nothing. Here is what each holds and what does not fit in a day.
Why can a trip from Tivat go either way?
Porto Montenegro sits inside the Bay of Tivat, and from there the boat can reach both the narrows at Kamenari and the open sea off Mamula. That is the real advantage of the base: you do not spend half a day getting to the side you want, because both start from the same pontoon. How to find the pontoon and where to leave the car is in our Porto Montenegro guest guide.
The other side of that flexibility is that you have to choose in advance. We do not sell "a little of both": each side takes its own hours, and a mix of the two usually leaves a guest with two half-days instead of one whole one.
What the western and eastern routes hold
The points below come from the working routes we run every season.
| Hours | West: to the Blue Cave | East: along the bay towards Kotor |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Stradioti, along Luštica to the submarine docks, anchor at Rose, back | Out to the ferries, oysters at Kamenari, a loop at Our Lady of the Rocks or an hour at Perast |
| 6 | Stradioti, the docks, past Mamula, a swim at Žanjic or at Rybarsko Selo | The same as the 4 hours, plus a stop at Kotor or a mooring at Prčanj for the cathedral |
| 8 | An early start, the cave at 11:00–12:00, lunch at Rybarsko Selo or Fort Rosa, a swim at Stradioti | Kotor, a swim, lunch with a view of the fjords, paddleboards along the Dobrota coves, the islands, Stradioti |
The western trip heads for open water, so it is harder to move to another time of day: there is one window at the cave. The eastern one stays inside the bay, where stops can be shifted. We wrote about the light and the hours in our Blue Cave timing guide, and laid out the eastern side in the hour-by-hour bay route.
Why is Tivat an easy place to start for the cave?
Because we build the 8-hour western trip around the cave rather than towards it. We go straight there in the morning and place the swim, lunch and anchorages around that time. From Tivat the run to the passage at Mamula does not need a detour deep into the bay, so the morning is not spent getting round to it.
The earlier you are aboard, the looser the plan. It is the same logic as in our arithmetic for people travelling from afar, in the piece on the road from Dubrovnik: everything hangs on the start hour, not on the number of stops.
What does not fit in one day
Three things we ask guests to drop almost every time. First: the cave and Kotor on one eight-hour outing, because they are two different sides of the bay. Second: Perast, Kotor and oysters all together on four hours, which leaves room for one or two stops. Third: a quiet route on the hottest day of the season, when the waterfronts are full from the morning.
The fix is usually simple: either longer, say 12 hours, or two days. If you would rather not choose, look at a yacht with a night aboard, where one side goes to the first day and the other to the second.
What it costs
The price depends on length, not on the route and not on the number of guests:
A private charter is priced per boat. For a group of several people that makes four hours cost noticeably less per head than the total suggests, and the choice between west and east does not change the bill: you pay for it in time only.
Where to start
Send the date, the number of guests and what you want to see. We will tell you which side of the bay fits your day and give you the boarding time at the marina. Terms and free dates are on the Tivat yacht rental page.
Frequently asked questions
Two ways: west to the submarine docks, Mamula and the Blue Cave, or east to the Kamenari ferries, Perast and Prčanj. Both start at the marina in Tivat. In one outing we normally build one side, because each asks for its own stretch of the day.
On 4, 6 and 8 hours we build one side of the bay. Both sides in one outing is a question for a longer format, such as 12 hours. Send your dates and group size and we will say what fits your time and what is better left for a second day.
Early enough to be at the cave between 11:00 and 12:00, the only time the light enters the grotto and the water glows blue. On the eight-hour trip we go straight to it and swim and eat afterwards. The eastern route has no such fixed hour.
No. The yacht is yours as a whole, so the price is one figure: €2,600 for 4 hours, €2,800 for 6, €3,000 for 8. The crew is included. Only the length changes, not the number of guests aboard.
